


Father's Gambit

by GeorgiesPapers



Series: Blood Stained Paradise [2]
Category: Silent Hill (Video Game Series)
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blood and Gore, Blood and Violence, F/M, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Infant Death, Infanticide, M/M, Medical Trauma, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Self-Harm, Smoking, Suicidal Thoughts, Trauma
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-18
Updated: 2021-03-25
Packaged: 2021-03-26 21:15:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30112146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GeorgiesPapers/pseuds/GeorgiesPapers
Summary: A Father is forced to return to Silent Hill to get back his family. Two residents join him through Silent Hill, at its most violent.
Relationships: Harry Mason/James Sunderland, Heather Mason/Original Male Character
Series: Blood Stained Paradise [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2215890
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	1. The Calm before the Storm

The Calm before the Storm

This town is awfully strange even without its nightmarish abominations haunting its streets. No matter how much time has seemingly flowed by, evident by the new technologies and renovated interiors that materialized, at every dawn of a new day all seeming entirely alien. This town looked the same as it did when James Sunderland set foot in Silent Hill for the last time.

An abandoned ghost town.

Sure, there were a few new builds dotted all over the town and a few new cars, some that were of barely identifiable makers. There was the Lakeview Hotel, burnt down before his arrival now standing again and barely recognizable as the place, he and Mary once stay in. No, it was a refreshed and remodelled version of its predecessor with a few creative choices here and there, it was recognizable but its lost charm. Especially with the missing music box in the lobby, they never replaced it which is a shame. He missed it. For him, it was soothing to hear it back then, a short lullaby before his reality was shattered by the truth of it all.

The thick fog he was greeted with back then, was still ever present. The monsters that hunted him haven’t shown since his debut. It was pretty lonely because of that, no soul, not an ounce of life within the town. Just him, the fog and the town’s strangely haunting ambience.

Until…

“You seem awfully pensive…” A male voice cutting though his thoughts like a knife. The tone, like an endearing husband acknowledging the aura permeating from his partner as he read a book or something.

Actually, that’s exactly what Harry Mason was doing. James’ companion, another soul that he had the pleasure of dumping into on the road outside Lakeview. An unfortunate soul, condemned like him to an eternity in limbo in this place. Unlike James, Harry didn’t deserve it not in the least bit.

Together they roamed the town or just stayed at Lakeview where they called home as it acted like a ley-line between the parts of Silent Hill that played stage to both of their misadventures. They had done this for many years, like a decade. It felt like a good decade went by since their meeting. Today, they paid a visit to Rosewater Park.

James had been leaning against the railings that overlooked the lake, staring into the voiding grey of the unending fog while Harry sat on the bench with their respective weapons propped up on the side of the bench behind James, reading a newspaper through reading glasses that he ‘borrowed’ from a kiosk of… well the location had long escaped James’ mind as Harry had them for a long time. James let out a heaving sigh.

“Kinda am… I guess” James responding to Harry before pushing off the railing, withdrawing back to Harry’s side. “Have you noticed a difference with the town lately? It feels…”

“Electric?” Harry said finishing James’ thought. Something he was pretty good at with James, generally because the man was like an open book sometimes. Harry watched his other take a seat next to him, his arms laid out over the back of the bench.

“Yeah…” James confirmed once he was comfortably sat in a relaxed position. At least James wasn’t alone in thinking something was off.

“I’ve been feeling it for a while actually but only recently it’s gotten more… prominent?” Harry wasn’t entirety sure how to explain what the town was emitting. But it sure felt like an omen of things to come.

“I don’t care for it…”

“Me neither James”

The two wanderers, looked at each other both sensing the foreboding air between them. The town usually had an air of electricity especially since Harry’s arrival but then again after hearing his story, it would be like that as Harry played a significant role in the town or rather be a pain in its ass. Sometimes its ramped up now and then, the duo never really got why, it thankfully never pertained to them but this time was different. It made the hairs on the back of their necks stand up, a niggling feeling that gnawed at them. Grinding them down, making them wary of what the town had instore for them.

James’ eyes flitted to the newspaper than Harry was reading through. He wanted a change of subject.

“So… what year are we at now?” James asked Harry, who often was the barer of news. James never read the newspapers that they happened across. What was the point? He’d never experience it why even bother reading about it. Harry though was always curious about what was happening outside of their realm. Maybe it was because he had a daughter out there. Somewhere, there wasn’t a day that went by where he wondered how she was fairing. Wondering how old she is now. Wondering if she has a family of her own.

“2019… but I think this paper is a bit old” Harry said, letting out a sigh as he folded the paper and set it down to his side. He removed the glasses from his face, folding them up before pocketing them in his coat pocket. “Heather would be about thirty now?” Harry stated again with uncertainty. Not truly knowing day or time or what year it was, sure does mess with the perception of time. “Definitely late twenties” Harry somewhat corrected himself.

“Wow… Time flies” James muttered, still never quite got over the fact that the new millennium wasn’t new anymore. The last newspaper they found was dated ‘2010’, leading the companions to believe they were privy to snapshots of the world outside whenever something poignant happens within the town. Like some poor soul dragged into its hellscape.

Last news pertained to a possible arson attack on an orphanage named ‘The Wish House’ which was situated in the surrounding woods of Silent Hill as well as spate of killings that copied the M.O of Walter Sullivan in South Ashfield. Hearing South Ashfield again made James think of his father, wondering if he was still kicking out there somewhere. In addition to the killings, something big went in Shepherd Glen’s a township residing on the other side of Toluca Lake but the information on that was lacklustre. Either way the small town was closed off and been abandoned since then, perhaps a cover up by the oh so nefarious ‘The Order’ as Harry refers to them as.

Now it was Harry’s turn to stare off into the fog, melancholy setting into his aging features. The father was always worried about his daughter. He wondered if The Order was still after her after all these years, the idea of it made his skin crawl. Without him around who will protect her in his place? Is she able to defend herself from them?

These questions that always ran through his head, desperate for answers but knowing that they will never be answered and perhaps that is for the best. The longer he remains in the dark, the more he finds comfort in knowing that she is safe. Far from this place.

James could only watch his significant other, unable to truly empathize with the man as he could only imagine the pain and anguish that Harry goes through on a daily to sometimes weekly or whenever a passing thought or memory comes to mind basis. He never got the chance to experience fatherhood with Mary. They wanted to but life had other ideas for them; A short life, ending the moment when Mary entered palliative care.

A blonde could only merely comfort the patriarch by rubbing his back in soft circular motions. The gesture was minuet but appreciated nonetheless as Harry broke out of sombre ravine and glanced at James, giving him a small smile. The patriarch sighed softly as he returned his gaze back to the wall of grey over the lake.

“We should head back. Getting a bit tired of the fog” Harry suggested with a tired smile on his face.

“Careful one of these days, you going to want this fog” James said in a slight jest as he lightly nudged Harry with his elbow playfully, which garnered a soft chuckle from Harry.

It was then, splat of a raindrop landed on the newspaper next to Harry which drew the attention of the two companions as it shattered the silence between then. The single drop of rain was followed additional raindrops that landed on Harry and James’ faces in quick succession.

“Well… that’s new” Harry muttered as the pair looked up at the sky, both wishing that they hadn’t said anything. Its onset of rain was a new experience to them especially outside the Other World. The nightmare realm that doubled the trauma for the almighty price of your sanity. This could only be an omen for the two men as they got to their feet. James made for their weapons, a rifle which James claimed slinging its strap over his shoulder then handing Harry, the pipe that use to be James’. He preferred melee over firearms. Once they had gathered themselves the two began a brisk walk to get to some form of shelter before the rain comes down in full force. Gradually the drizzle of the rain turned into a light shower which made James take the rifle off his shoulder and shimmy off his coat. He slung the rifle back over his shoulder before using his coat as a makeshift umbrella over him and Harry as they walked tandem with each other. The patriarch was truly grateful for that as his coat didn’t provide as much coverage as James’ did.

They did consider one of the many gazebos that the park that were dotted throughout the park but there was no telling when the rain would let up. James tried the small building at the park’s entrance.

“Damn, its locked” James exclaimed, after a vain attempt at forcing the door to open. “Any ideas?”

“Isn’t there an inn a little way down the road? Or a mansion?” Harry pointed in the direction of Jack’s Inn in the direction that vaguely remember from the map that covered the South Vale side of the town. Even if it was vague, James knew it was the complete opposite direction of the Lakeside Hotel. It wasn’t home but it would be certainly be better than being out in the rain.

“Okay… Inn it is” James agreed as he returned to Harry’s side who had under James’ stern suggestion remain under the coat while he tried the door. As they crossed the threshold of Rosewater, it was as if someone had switched off the light plunging the town and the companions into darkness. Along with the sudden darkness, the rain turned into a downpour.

“Oh no…” Harry uttered, barely audible over the heavy rain. The men had stepped unwillingly into the unknown, into the Other World. They both knew it. The town’s sudden changes could only mean that it’s found another victim but this time, it decided to let them bear witness to its’ games. Harry’s thoughts immediately went to Heather, why else he would drag into Silent Hill’s mess once more. “Please not her” He spoke with fear, holding back a croak. The father couldn’t bear the idea that Heather was here, it would destroy him.

“I’m sure it’s not her Harry” James said in a vain attempt to comfort the father although even he wasn’t sure about that. Neither was he sure about why he dragged into this although at the same time, he glad that he was along for the ride. James couldn’t bear the thought of Harry having to go through that again alone. Or be without him.

A light jingle managed to break through the constant crescendo of the downpour and short distance, a light that flitted in the darkness and what seemed to be in the middle of the road. The companions looked at each other both with curiosity and furthering dread in their faces. Harry let James take back his coat and whilst he put his soaking coat back on while juggling with his rifle, Harry bravely inch closer to sound and light. The father held his pipe up in a defensive manner ready to attack at a moment’s notice.

However just as the father’s guard climb further, it plummeted down upon inspection as upon inspection, the now apparent cheerful chime belongs to a toy wand as the LEDs inside it flashed in various colours. Toy wand was kind of a sorry sight to see for Harry, a child’s toy left abandoned in the road for its owner to never see again. Upon further inspection, Harry began to recognize it from a cartoon that Heather used to watch when she was a kid. This is instilled the idea that the onset of the Other World had something to do with Heather but at the same time, he did remember never having to buy merchandise of the show.

James finally got to return to Harry’s side just as the patriarch had crouch down to retrieve the toy off the asphalt once Harry had the toy in his grip.  
  
“Cute…” Harry remarks as he looks over the toy.

“Come on, let’s get going” James says, nudging Harry to get a move on. Standing in the pouring rain with do neither any good.

The pair find themselves drawn to the mansion that resided across from Jack’s Inn but they never felt the want or curiosity to check out. Often sticking to what they knew. A mansion surrounded by high concrete walls with only a garage door and ornate iron gate but that couldn’t be seen through the darkness and the rain, but they knew it was there. James and Harry had walked these streets many times and passed dozens of times but never went in.

They enter the mansion’s threshold beyond the iron gate, from there it was a short skip and jump to dry shelter.


	2. The Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new challenger arrives

Chapter Two; The Storm

The outskirts of town, the main road into Silent Hill

A sigh of relief was breathed as markers for Silent Hill had begun to appear along the main route.

“Daddy is on his way kids” A father muttered as he sped along the road in his silver Range Rover. The drive to the town had taken him the longest hours of his life despite the speed he kept constant like a man on the run with nothing to lose but all to gain.

As soon as the markers appeared so did the fog as its envelopes the silver vehicle forcing the man to slow his speed. It is no use to anyone if he crashed right now. The vehicle’s built-in sat-nav alerted the man to the closure of the road ahead forcing the father to slow further to a crawl as headed towards the town’s observation deck.

The car slowly passed the small parking lot with a tiny outbuilding situated next to it as quickly as it did, the car stopped. The main route into Silent Hill was indeed closed as what seemed to be grating spanned across the entirety of the tunnel’s entrance with a banner hung across it. The banner read; ‘Welcome Home’, as if celebrating one’s return mockingly. The father’s face contorted into one of disgust and glared at the blockade. It mocked him. It teased the fact that already his plight was made worst by the sudden diversion to his rescue mission.

Nothing is ever easy with Silent Hill.

“Damn it” The father cursed as he threw the gear shift into reverse and sped backwards before reversing back into a parking space. The vehicle became stationary before being shut it off, the father remained seated in the driver’s seat wondering how else to get into the wretched town. He unbuckled and looked about him and surrounding area of the car and spotted a drop-off in the stonewall. Perhaps a staircase to a nature trail?

The male sighed heavily, guessing he’ll be taking the long route into town. He grabbed his shoulder holster, desert eagle and shotgun from the passenger seat before finally getting out of the vehicle. Slinging the holster over his shoulders and holstering the deagle then finally slinging the strap of shotgun over his shoulder, the father makes for the trunk of his car. He opens the gate and grabs a coat. A double-breasted coat that cascades down to his knees which he puts on even over the strap of the shotgun.

The patriarch exhaled heavily once he was all set, unlocking up the car that may or may not be driven again but locking it up feeds into the hope he’ll be leaving this town with his kids. He looks over to drop-off and walked over to it, leading the discovery of a stairwell built of stone slabs that had been reclaimed by nature. The descent down the steps was gingerly as moss covered each step heavily making it very easy to slip fall down them and with the heavy fog obscuring the end, there is no telling where the leads.

As with before, he is of no use to anyone if he was injured right now.

The stone steps ended to a gravel ladled dirt nature trail caved into a slope above a seemingly bottomless ravine, no rails to fence the path off from the drop. One slip in the wrong direction could spell disaster. Regardless of the treacherous path, the father powered on, sheer determination winning out over the anxiety.

However, determination alone could never stop the nigglingly feeling of being followed as the ominous ambience of the surrounding nature always made his confident stride falter, making him pause to look back. The sloshing of water from a gentle tide slapping against a bay told him that the ravine led down to the lake was the primary suspect of anxiety inducing noise. The sound normally should be calming but it was just eery in the current situation. An unwelcoming acoustic in haunting surroundings. He continued on.

Soon the dirt path gave way to grass that narrowed into a large iron gate that which upon inspection was withered and rust with overgrowth reclaiming it causing it to jam. Opening the gate was a slight struggle but managed as it opened to a white expanse of fog, with gravestones dotting the oh so close horizon. A quick gleam of the gravestones passed, showed that they had long worn and weathered by the elements. A graveyard that looked like it had been lost, abandoned to the wild eons ago. The father made his path between the headstones only find himself a fright as the figure stood up from behind one.

He froze as he locked eyes with said figure, who was female and looked eerily familiar to him. She donned a school uniform; Navy blue dress with a sailor collar and red ribbon tie. A variety of expressions had formed on the father’s face but confusion remained, he could’ve sworn he’s seen her.

“Alessa…” A name that was on the tip of his tongue but somehow failing to connect the name to the face. The girl looked at him stunned and confusion just like him, over the name being said but only for a brief moment as she faded away like a ghost. Along with her leaving soon came the ear assault of air raid siren sounded from causing the male to cower in pain, clasping his hands over his ears.

“What the hell…” The patriarch cursed to himself as the siren waded allowing him to recover. Nothing had changed from what he could see around him, wondering what on earth had happened. His eyes drifted upwards to the sky taking on that that had gotten slightly dark, much like a black raincloud overhead but so too did look redder. Was it sundown already?

Whatever unknown had brought on the siren, had brought with it; overwhelming dread. The father exhaled deeply, his chest visibly rising then fall with the heavy breath. Nerves suppressed, he pressed onwards through the graveyard, the crunch of leaves and foliage with every footfall echoed through the thick fog. A gate much like the last was situated at the back of the cemetery that emitted a hair-raising screech, leaving him to wonder what kind of hell he alerted to his presence. After once again calming his fraying nerves, he started down the path.

Only once he got ten feet from the gate did the man feel like he was being followed, so too did his ears prick up to the sound of additional footfalls that accompanied his own. The anomaly made the father look behind him in bewilderment only for it to turn into sheer terror. Footprints appeared on the dirt path, belonging to something unseen and in quick succession as dirt was kicked up in its wake.

Flight or fight kicked in as he bolted from the unseeable so too did it as it hastened its’ pace to keep up with the fleeing father. The sprint was immediately exhausting as his heart raced and energy levels quickly depleted. The path terrain changed to gravel before the path took a sudden turn causing the father to skid, throwing out a leg making his hip explode with pain but adrenaline didn’t allow him to slow.

He ran down the concrete tunnel that the path transitioned to, that was littered with newspapers. A gate sectioned off the tunnel at the middle that the man threw himself, swinging it open before slamming it closed behind him. He jammed it closed with a pipe that was propped up against the fencing just as the unseen slammed itself against the barricaded gate, causing the father jump back near losing his footing.

“Leave me alone!!” He shouted pointlessly at the entity as it thrashed against the gate causing it to rattle violently before continuing to run from it making sure to put as much distance between him and it as possible.

The concrete path turned into the streets of Silent Hill, not stopping even as he ran further into town. Only when he nearly ran into a chasm in the road that the father finally forced himself to stop, to ground himself. He had no clue where he was or where he was going only that he knew where he should be. He took out his phone to use the map app to get a sense of direction but only he was greeted with an unending loading screen and the distinct symbol of no service.

“What a surprise...” He muttered, exuding sarcasm before pocketing the now useless device. “Surely there’s a townhall or information board around” He looked around himself, taking in his surroundings.

Through the thick fog, he spotted a sign saying ‘Neely’s Bar’ and found himself being drawn to it. As he approached the building, he noted the windows were covered with newspapers. The bar’s front was inaccessible but there was a side entrance. The father opened the door only to be blasted with nasal assault of mould and damp only once he stopped wishing he could smell did he step inside. The interior was completely barren, save for a dilapidated bar caked in dried… something.

He approached the bar as his eyes were drawn to a piece of paper that seemed to have melded with the bar, thanks to… was that blood? Upon further inspection, the paper turned out to be a barely illegible map. He counted his lucky stars as he could finally figure out where he was and where to go. Rather than memorize any of it, the father opted to take out his phone and take pictures of the map. After that, he stared the map.

He found Neely’s Bar from there, he found the road that he should of came in on named; Nathan Avenue which he could follow to the amusement park called; Lakeside. A place, he remembered from his wife’s retelling of her misadventure to this town. He had a feeling his kids were taken there.

According to the map, he has to take Katz street then up Munson street to get to Nathan Avenue as the road he was on ended with a chasm. After deciding his route, he exited the building.

Outside, it was raining heavily and pitch black out. He could have sworn he hadn’t been in the bar for that long. Nevertheless, he continued on his route, thankfully his sense of direction wasn’t impeded by the whiplash change in weather. However, his ability to walk and his grip on his anxiety was certainly impeded by he tried to keep a steady brisk walking pace attempting to power through the pain from his hip and the limp in his step.

As he neared the end of Munson street, a loud crash rang out, cutting through the deafening rain and along with it a guttural scream which froze the father mid-step. Colour had completely drained from his skin as well as his eyes widening in fear. He knew the unseen entity had broken through and wouldn’t be long before it caught up to him. Swiftly, the male looked around himself and spotted an opened gate in a story high wall and made for it. Once he was beyond the gate, he closed it as quietly as he could behind him then backed away from it.

He backed away a few paces before falling backwards onto a set of stairs. A porch to a house or a mansion. How many houses have high walls surrounding its parameters? The father didn’t dwell as he got up and headed into the building.

Inside, he was greeted with a dark lobby. Dry and airy. The male closed the door before backing away from it. He backed to a table before finally allowing himself to breathe.

However as always with Silent Hill there is never a truly dull moment as a door behind him opened causing the man to pivot on his uninjured leg. As he did, he quickdraw his deagle from the holster and took aim but never readied.

“Who are you?” A voice said…


End file.
